The World Heritage Sites listed by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are places on Earth that are of Outstanding Universal Value to humanity, to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. UNESCO has inscribed 38 such sites in India, all of which are presented in this volume, together with beautiful illustrations and commentary by heritage experts and conservationists.

The cultural sites in India are a rich repository of the country’s glorious past—from the earliest periods of rock art, Buddhist caves and Hindu temples, Sultanate and Mughal forts, palaces, tombs and memorials, medieval Hindu and Islamic cities, step-wells and observatories to Portuguese churches, Victorian and Art Deco ensembles to 20th-century industrial and modern heritage sites. The natural and mixed sites include national parks of exceptional natural beauty, flora and fauna and, sites of long interaction between people and the landscape.

Dr. Shikha Jain has worked on several nomination dossiers for India and other Asian countries. Vinay Sheel Oberoi, a retired Indian Administrative Services (IAS) Ofﬁcer, served as the Ambassador & Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO from 2010 to 2014. Rohit Chawla is one of India’s leading contemporary photographers. Amareswar Galla is currently Chief Curator, Amaravathi Heritage Centre and Museum, Amaravathi Heritage Town. Janhwij Sharma is Joint Director General, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), overseeing all World Heritage Sites in India for ASI. Amita Baig is a heritage management consultant with 30 years’ experience in heritage preservation and sustainable tourism in India. Dr. Jyoti Pandey Sharma is a Professor of Architecture at Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Haryana. Dr. V B Mathur is Dean of Wildlife Institute of India, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre for Asia Paciﬁc. Dr. Rohit Jigyasu, a conservation architect and risk management professional, is the Programme Officer at ICCROM in Sharjah, UAE. Kiran Joshi is the President of ICOMOS India. Dr. Sonali Ghosh is the former Conservator of Forests and Deputy Director of Manas Tiger Reserve, Assam. Eric Faltis currently Director, UNESCO India Cluster Ofﬁce.